2010 News Releases

Date:

March 25, 2010

For More Information Contact:

Officer Katie Flood, Public Information Officer, 441.7226

Lottery Scams on the Rise Again

Over the last two weeks, the Lincoln Police Department has seen an increase in fraud reports relating to lottery scams. At least seven Lincoln citizens notified LPD after receiving phone calls or letters advising them that they won the lottery. Many of the callers are persistent, calling numerous times and insisting that the "winner" must send cash to receive his or her winnings. In the letters, the winners are told to wire thousands of dollars in cash to cover the taxes associated with the winnings. The phone calls originate from the 876 area code, which is Jamaica. The callers often have thick Jamaican accents.

Fortunately, the victims in these recent cases suffered no monetary loss. They were either familiar enough with the warning signs to recognize these as scams or they were stopped by a third party looking out for their financial welfare. The Lincoln Police Department wants to remind citizens of a few of the warning signs associated with lottery and sweepstakes scams:

Legitimate lotteries will not notify winners by telephone.

You will never need to pay money to receive your prize.

You will not need to provide bank or credit card information to receive the winnings.

You can only win sweepstakes that you enter.

Sweepstakes scams instruct you to wire money.

Scams pressure you to act in a hurry.

Scams often contain typos and glaring errors in spelling and grammar.

In another recent tactic, the callers demand that the citizen has an outstanding loan. The victim is told to send money immediately to forgive the outstanding debt. The callers dig deeper into the citizen's personal life and even call employers. These calls are frequent and attempt to wear the victim down or shame them into sending money.